The hotel and tourism investment conference: SAHIC Virtual Conference 2020

The Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference for Latin American and the Caribbean community will hold its annual event virtually this October 5-6 starting at 08:00 am EST.

Supported by the effort of sponsors and team, SAHIC is committed to promoting regional collaboration, by offering a complete online conference to connect and discuss the present and future of the industry.

For Arturo Garcia Rosa, President & Founder of SAHIC, “The crisis we are facing since the COVID-19 outbreak has become a day to day challenge. As part of the industry, we feel the need to send out an encouraging message and facilitate encounter and close exchange between all members of our community.”

The conference consists of intensive thematic round tables (TRTs), essential industry insights by global speakers, and networking opportunities aimed at promoting business in the hospitality and tourism development industries as well as related real-estate projects for the entire Latin America and the Caribbean region. Unlike webinars, the SAHIC Virtual Conference experience has been designed to deliver the same benefits as the in-person event, focused on delivering an interactive-oriented encounter with added features to facilitate interaction among participants.

Speakers. The interactive program will have a powerful line-up of over 100 renowned leaders. Some of the confirmed speakers include:

  • Elie Maalouf – CEO the Americas, InterContinental Hotels
  • Brian King – President Caribbean & Latin America, Marriott
  • Patrick Mendes – CEO South America, Accor
  • Frances Gonzalez – Vice President Operations Latin America at Radisson Hotel Group
  • Ted Middleton – Senior Vice President Development Latin America and the Caribbean, Hilton
  • Daniel Piana – Principal, DPA&D Architecture & Design
  • Juliana Gómez Peláez – Director for Foreign Direct Investment, North America, ProColombia
  • Patricia Boo and Rico Louw – STR
  • Gloria Guevara – President & CEO, World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC)
  • Federico Stubbe Jr. – CEO, Prisa Group
  • Herman Bern Jr. – President, Bern Hotels & Resorts
  • Fernando Poma – Vice President & Managing Director, Real Hotels & Resorts, the hotel division of Grupo Poma
  • Sandra Ro – CEO, Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC)
  • Susie Vowinkel – Industry Director Travel, Google
  • Olivier Ponti – Vice President Insight at ForwardKeys
  • Hilen Meirovich – Head of Division in charge of Advisory Services at IDB Invest and the Head responsible for the Climate Change agenda
  • Natalia Bayona – Senior Expert on Innovation and Digital Transformation, World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
  • Diego Arrosa Shaw – CEO, Corporación America Uruguay
  • Felix Antelo – President & CEO Viva Air Group
  • Hugo Desenzani – CEO, Libertador Hotels, Resorts & Spas
  • Matías de Cristobal Schatz – Managing Director, AWASI
  • Diane Edwards, President of Jamaica Promotions Corporation – JAMPRO
  • Isabel de Caires – Director Investment Banking at CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank
  • José Cunha – Latin America Certification Director – Bureau Veritas
  • Ana Paradela – Director Business Development, LATAM, Mexico & Caribbean, Expedia Group
  • Robert McCall – Managing Director, GTIS Partners
  • Francisco Andragnes – Chief Executive Officer, Metrobuildings
  • Rogerio Basso – Head of Tourism, IDB Invest
  • Cristián Roberts Castro – President, PRIME
  • Ilan Marcoschamer – Senior Vice President of Commercial Real Estate, Hospitality and Tourism at Banco Sabadell
  • Jonathan Alvarado – Director, Vertex Private Equity Investors / Vertex Real Estate Investors
  • Angela Musgrove – Senior Vice President Investor Services at Invest Turks & Caicos
  • Carl Emberson – Director Operations & Marketing, Punta Mita

SAHIC´s program will also include an in-depth conversation with government representatives from important destinations in the Caribbean and Central America who will be interviewed by Peter Greenberg – Travel Editor for CBS News.

Topics. As the premier Latin American and Caribbean hospitality conference hosted in the region, SAHIC 2020 strives to cover a comprehensive selection of topics current to the hospitality climate in this part of the world. Sessions of the interactive program include: the economic impact of COVID-19 in our industry and how to live through it, the possible post scenarios and how to detect opportunity on an unfavorable reality, the influence of technology, new trends in the industry, sustainability, hospitality investment climate and conversions, between other topics.

Highlights. The two-day virtual event will feature nine hours of interactive content and essential industry insights by global speakers on the main ‘live’ stage and in break-out sessions and roundtables, as well as live face-to-face networking and a virtual Expo hosted by the event sponsors. As a Latin American conference targeted to a worldwide audience, SAHIC will provide simultaneous translation (English – Spanish) in all sessions.

“Latin America and the Caribbean are incredibly important development regions for the hospitality and travel industry, and we look forward to delving into the opportunities the new normal holds this year at our conference,” remarks Garcia Rosa.

More information about the agenda, speakers, and how to register can be found at www.sahic.com.

About SAHIC VIRTUAL CONFERENCE 2020 is organized by SAHIC, the leading hotel and tourism investment conference in Latin America and the Caribbean that promotes business projects in the region.  SAHIC is an annual event where the key players in the industry meet year after year to exchange experiences, build and foster relationships, explore new opportunities and close business deals. SAHIC´s venue rotates every year through different cities and has covered the region for more than 12 years in 15 editions.

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